A Beaconsfield student's short film is the only UK entry selected for a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.

'Killing Boris Johnson', a haunting short film created by Beaconsfield National Film and Television School graduate Musa Alderson-Clarke, has been selected for the prestigious La Cinef showcase at this year's Cannes Film Festival. 

It was the only UK film to be selected for the showcase, beating over 2,000 submissions, and will premiere worldwide at Cannes Cinefondation on Thursday, May 25. 

'Killing Boris Johnson' is a claustrophobic, intimate portrayal of grief and anger and follows the turmoil experienced by Kaz (Shadrach Agozino) after he loses his mother during the Coronavirus pandemic and becomes obsessed with holding then-PM Boris Johnson accountable in the wake of the Partygate scandal. 

Mr Alderson-Clarke wrote and directed the film, recruiting fellow NFTS alumni including Solomon Golding, the first black British dancer to join the Royal Ballet Company, for production and editorial roles. 

The 'Killing Boris Johnson' director, who graduated from the NFTS Directing Fiction MA in February 2023, said he wanted the 24-minute film to immortalise the feelings that he and so many others had experienced during the pandemic. 

"Going through my own personal loss and coming to terms with the pain, I wanted to draw a direct relationship between poor governance and the pain those of us impacted by it experienced.

"To prevent Boris Johnson from leaving office and just being remembered as a comical, bumbling Prime Minister, I wanted to connect emotion to this moment in time."

He added: "As a working-class man of colour, I feel disenfranchised and angry, not just at Boris Johnson but at our society as a whole. 

"I'm grateful that I am a creator with an outlet for all these feelings. This is my small way of giving a voice to the voiceless.

"I am honoured to have Killing Boris Johnson selected for La Cinef - it is a film made to be seen and for it to be recognised by Cannes no doubt means it will have a further reach."

John Wardle, Director of the NFTS, said the recognition of the short film by the Cannes selection committee was a testament to the talent and dedication of the school's graduates.

"We are immensely proud of Musa and the entire team behind this powerful and thought-provoking film. The selection recognises the quality of this incredible work and the NFTS's commitment to supporting emerging talent and allowing space to voice their unique stories."